"Big or small projects carried out by famous sports organisations, or any business or individual, demand a similar philosophy for success. Peak performance is indeed the challenge"
Sir Edmund Hillary

"From the first moment we met Steve we recognised that he was a special person. He jumped out of the pack as a motivator. Blackie continues to be an inspiration." Rob Andrew, Director of Elite Rugby, England RFU

Inspire!

An Inspirational Speaker For Your Corporate Event

We present the issues you need. Steve has a wealth of knowledge on many aspects of success, teamwork, motivation and leadership. He delights in bringing this knowledge to the business arena through his keynote talks and seminars. Steve has presented all over the world and his years of elite level experience allow him to deliver hard hitting messages in a variety of manners. The presentation, material and tone are all tailored to suit your organisation's needs. We work hard to make sure you get the right message across in the right manner.

Steve Black Enterprises is a North East based business development company spearheaded by the highly respected and world-renowned motivator Steve Black. Steve uses his motivational skills - developed during his time training famous sports stars and teams - to translate the principles of success that work in the sporting arena into the business environment.

Drawing on the skills and knowledge built up over this formidable career, Steve now stages conferences and seminars for the business community, looking at areas such as leadership, teamwork, top level performance, effectiveness and motivation. Not surprisingly, major clients such as RBS, ABN AMRO, Nike, Convergys, O2, and Siemens have all utilised Steve's powerful motivational and presentation skills.

Everything we do is tailored to the individual needs of the client. We will meet with you to gain an understanding of your culture, the business issues you face and what it is you are trying to achieve. We then work with you to develop an event or seminar that is right for your particular organisation.

Topics Covered

Leadership

The modern business environment is chaotic and rapidly evolving. Leadership is a very common focus of organisations seeking to improve their performance. Over the next ten years the only business strategies with longevity and reason will be those that form around flexibility. A new type of leader will be called for. Time brings with it new challenges, the evolution of the business environment necessitates an equal evolution of the leader. In this compelling seminar Steve discusses this leadership evolution, explores the key characteristics of the effective leader, and approaches how businesses can get the edge by creating the successful leaders of tomorrow.

Change Management

In today's ever-changing environment the best businesses are proving to be the fastest at change and re-invention. That shouldn't be a surprise; a few hundred years ago Charles Darwin promoted survival of the most adaptable. We look at how the best organisations approach change and ingrain it into their culture and ethos. Steve's wide experiences provide a wealth of empirical evidence to support some of the best management thinkers in the world today. Everyone is in favour of change - until it affects them. Some pertinent sports stories hammer home the point that plans need to keep evolving and reacting to changes in the landscape, the economy, the opposition, regulation, recruitment and more. A particularly popular topic in today's economy.

Effectiveness

Effectiveness will always supersede efficiency in the long run. Steve looks at what it takes for both companies and individuals to increase their effectiveness and achieve real boosts in competitive advantage. Make no mistake; being effective is a mindset, a distinct mental skill – albeit an uncommon one. Focus and self-discipline are integral parts to becoming effective for individuals and companies but effectiveness is increasingly encompassing far more than merely ‘efficiency of the mind’. It is demanding higher emotional intelligence and now requires trained judgement coupled with innovative thinking.

Top Level Performance

Top level performance (TLP) is centrally concerned with being competitive against the very best there is to offer. We are all performers in some context or another but although people use terms such as ‘top level’, ‘top drawer’, ‘world class’, and ‘elite’ frequently, relatively few people understand exactly what top level performance demands from the individual. The key characteristics of such elite performing individuals are rarely pursued with as much vigour as that witnessed with regard to the latest management panacea such as TQM, Business Excellence, Six Sigma, Core Competencies, and all those before and since.

The reality is that top level performance constitutes a myriad of actions, behaviours, interpretations, and executions – all ranging from overt to subtle in nature. Drucker’s notion of ‘doing the right things, and doing things right’ is obviously embodied by top level performance, but to merely accept the obvious without fully grasping the causal underlying factors hinders richer understanding of the phenomenon. Steve discusses how the business world can benefit greatly in progressing from using of superficial terms (e.g. world class, excellence) to a fuller understanding of the elite performance phenomenon.

Teamwork

We all know what makes a good team, right? It’s only the ‘how to’ part that is the obstacle. With his wealth of experience and inside knowledge on some of the most successful teams in recent memory, Steve gives a unique insight into the construction and day-to-day running of truly great teams. He believes that a team is a jigsaw – some of us are full of colour, others are just bits of sky, but all are necessary to make the jigsaw a success. Steve talks at length about how they dealt with key issues in teams that won championships and cups in both football and rugby. The possibility of transfer of these techniques into everyday business is astounding, and the potential for success thereafter high. Let Steve present to you a seminar that will stimulate, provoke and challenge all you know about teamwork.

Motivation

We live in fast paced times that drain our energy with every minute. Motivation has become a huge area to look at because that’s what the workplace has begun to attack. The right motivation can put a good organisation ahead and get a faltering one back on track. In this energising presentation Steve reveals the motivational secrets behind some of the preparation used by many of Britain’s top sports stars, including Jonny Wilkinson and Jonathan Edwards. He talks about generating the fire within and the importance of refreshing not just the motives but the working environment and the personal relationships that make up that environment. Steve has a passion and a talent for bringing the best out of people, and this seminar will open your eyes to the techniques used in the pressure cooker of top level international competition.

People Saying

"Incredible. Steve's passion and energy lit up the room. A truly motivational speaker."

ABN AMRO

"Steve Black recently conducted a motivational presentation at one of GNER Telesales Team Coach Forums.
Everyone who attended the Forum found this presentation to be very worthwhile. Steve talked about teams and teamwork and came across in a relaxed, but highly motivational, style and approach. Steve’s experience was apparent and he knew exactly how to pitch the talk for everyone’s benefit. This gave everyone something to go away and think about and leave the Forum with a very positive attitude towards their work. Steve’s presentation was the most enjoyable part of the whole day.
."

Sandra Batey, GNER

"He has a knack for discovering what makes people tick and a track record to prove it."

Peter Jackson, Daily Mail

"He seems to have more strings and bows than Robin Hood."

Bill Bradshaw, The Observer

"It was a special time in the mid to late nineties when it all started at Newcastle rugby club. The team was laden with internationals and driven by two of the biggest names in today’s English game (Dean and Rob). However one of the telling differences between Newcastle and the other teams trying to make the most of professional rugby, was our man Blackie. It didn’t take long however before I realised how lucky we were to have him in our camp."

Ross Nesdale, Newcastle Falcons RFC

"Blackie is the most positive man in the world. The glass is always half full, never half empty…and I love him to death…in that man to man way you understand. He’s a joy to be with."

Graham Henry, All Blacks Coach

"Charismatic Black is at the top of his profession. He is a legend."

John Gibson, Evening Chronicle

"It’s very exciting working with a person who is renown throughout his chosen profession. He is so positive in everything he does. We said we were going to get the best and we got that in Steve."

David Pickering, Wales RFU Chief Executive

"A man of many talents."

North East Times

"Steve Black is the reason."

Doddie Weir, on being asked the cause of his performances that led to him being named the Famous Grouse 1997 Scotland Player of The Year.

"The most inspirational coach I have ever worked with."

Tim Stimpson, Leicester Tigers & England; The only man to have won 4 consecutive rugby premier league championships.

"Black Magic; Steve Black is the man responsible for turning Newcastle into the most powerful & well prepared team in the premiership."